Goof (1902)

Douglas G. Wilson douglas at NB.NET
Sat Nov 27 02:42:50 UTC 2004


>So what does "muggled" mean in this context??

I don't know for sure, but I suppose it to be approximately equivalent to
"muddled", i.e. "confused". DARE shows a "muggle" something like this, with
a reference to the EDD (which I don't have handy). Cf. also
"hugger-mugger", and various "muggle" words referring to marijuana. Maybe
it's just a nonce word. The same poem contains "twickled and twittled"
where "twittered" or so would be expected, and "twirked" apparently similar
to "twitched", and some of the legislators are termed "ismists" and
"popgogs". Could "goof" itself be nonce here, and unrelated to later use?
Could be, but the sense looks about right for continuity.

-- Doug Wilson



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